Ultra-ReUsTex — Exporting recycled PBO & PBI technical textiles to the United States

An INNOWWIDE / Eureka project co-funded by the European Union · Reference 2025-26495

Ultra-ReUsTex is a 6-month feasibility and market entry project funded under the INNOWWIDE programme (Eureka Network, co-funded by the European Union), designed to open the United States market to Hilaturas Arnau's recycled high-performance PBO and PBI technical textiles.

Hilaturas Arnau participates as the applicant company and lead technical partner, working alongside XPORTA INC (United States) as main subcontractor for market research and commercial validation. The project is part of a cluster that includes leading Spanish industrial companies.

The opportunity: untapped PBO & PBI waste in the US market

PBO (polybenzoxazole) and PBI (polybenzimidazole) are the highest-performance protective fibers in the world — the global benchmark for defence, aerospace, and industrial safety applications. The United States is one of the world's largest generators of PBO and PBI waste from decommissioned military assets, aerospace scrap, and end-of-life protective equipment.

Until now, this waste stream has gone largely unutilised. Ultra-ReUsTex aims to change that — by establishing a circular supply chain that recovers US-sourced PBO and PBI fiber waste and reintroduces it into new high-performance recycled yarns and fabrics, saving up to 90% of the energy, water and resources required to produce virgin equivalents.

Project objectives

• Validate the US waste supply chain — quantify available PBO/PBI waste from aerospace, military and industrial sectors across key US states.
• Identify and qualify US end-users — PPE manufacturers, defence contractors, and aerospace suppliers seeking sustainable recycled fiber alternatives.
• Develop US-adapted recycled fiber blends — small-scale proof of concept producing blended yarns (recycled PBO, PBI, para-aramid) tested to US performance standards including NFPA certifications.
• Ensure IP and regulatory clearance — Freedom-to-Operate (FTO) analysis, EPA compliance mapping, and US patent landscape review.
• Produce a market entry business case — data-driven go/no-go analysis and Phase 2 investment roadmap for full US market entry.

Project structure — 5 work packages

Why this project matters

The defence and aerospace sectors in the United States operate with some of the world's highest concentrations of PBO and PBI end-of-life assets. By establishing a transatlantic circular economy loop — recovering US fiber waste and transforming it into certified recycled technical textiles — Ultra-ReUsTex creates a new sustainable supply chain that serves both European and American industrial sovereignty goals.

For Hilaturas Arnau, this project represents a key step in our global expansion strategy: bringing our proven recycled PBO and PBI manufacturing expertise — including EN ISO 6942:2022 Code C4 certified blends — to one of the world's most demanding technical textile markets.

Programme & funding

• Programme: INNOWWIDE — Eureka Network
• Funding: Co-funded by the European Union
• National body: CDTI (Centre for Industrial Technological Development), Spain
• Reference: 2025-26495 — Ultra-ReUsTex
• Duration: 6 months
• Partners: Hilaturas Arnau S.L. (Spain) · XPORTA INC (United States)

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Interested in collaborating, distributing, or sourcing recycled PBO and PBI technical textiles for the US market? Contact our technical team.

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